Ritual versus Medicine

Earlier I had guest-lectured an English Honors Course at Indiana University. I normally do this several times a year, as their studies begin to focus on such issues as "How the West deals with Death," "Illness, a bridge between life and Death," etc. This class was more responsive and alert than most, and, as usual, contained a disproportionate number of Pre-Med students.

They were interested in the placebo effect, so, I tried to make them understand the body is a self-healing mechanism. Science's inability to understand that, and their desire to label it "Placebo Effect", is nonsense. It should be referred to as Healing Effect, and the Western Scientists that ignore, or dismiss it, should finally get their heads out of their Cartesian Anal cavity, and fixation, and recognize it!

I went on to explain how the Cartesian view was of a mind/body dichotomy, and that the Western acceptance of the separation of these two energies had resulted in our blindness towards the power and usefulness of spiritual/emotional healing.

Then, in a flash, it occurred to me! We, the spiritual practitioners, had accepted the same nonsense! Only we were playing the other side of the street. Too often we operate as if ALL emotional or physical imbalances could be cured ritually. This is as ridiculous as thinking that prescription drugs and surgery are the only valid answers to illness.

Ifa is about homeostasis.reaching balance and equilibrium in all out endeavors. It isn't a contest between our spiritual nature and our intellectual nature! The intelligent approach is to use spirituality and ritual to obtain, or maintain, balance. Ritual is non-invasive and usually less destructive .BUT, in those instances where it does not effect balance, then we should have NO qualms about seeking Western modalities. That is the other side of the equation. To utilize only one side is to cripple our capacity and results.

So, we must be careful not to buy into the dichotomy that was artificially created by the Atomists. We must maintain our view of balance.balance between our spiritual and intellectual sides. The results can be quite impressive.

Blessings,

Oluwo Philip Neimark

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